Hanging Ten: My Cyber-Sweet Sixteen
by The Writer with No Name
Summary: With her sweet sixteen just around the corner, Lo is officially stoked about her upcoming birthday-bash. Struggling to keep up with preparing for his girlfriend's party, Ben isn't quite as thrilled, especially when an old acquiantance drops by...with her pet. AU Stoked S1-2, Ben 10: AF S2-3.
1. Awkward Moments

CHAPTER ONE: AWKWARD MOMENTS

 _Surfer's Paradise, Sunset Island, B.C., August 5, 2010_

"Got it, boss. I'll be there in just a few."

Ben had just sat down to have breakfast with the others – minus Lo, who was still asleep, and Johnny, who was at work – when he'd gotten the call. Broseph glanced to Ben between nauseous stares at his hotel-provided chum-substitute…or whatever it was. "Everything mellow, bro?"

Ben sighed. "Yeah; Bummer just called me in."

"Dude! It's your day off!" Reef said.

Fin nodded. "So wrong," she agreed, before she looked at her bowl of slop. "Although not as wrong as whatever _this_ is."

"Quit bein' a baby, Surf-Nut," Kevin mumbled, as he slurped his bowl down.

Emma turned green. " _God_ , Kevin! How can you _eat_ that?"

Kevin shrugged. "Had worse, Mackenzie," he said. "Compared to what I've had back in the day, this crud's _tame._ "

With a shudder, Gwen hugged herself. "I sure hope you're not expecting any kisses, today."

Ben chuckled. "It's a sad day when I actually prefer going to work than eating breakfast," he said. "Catch you guys in the lineup, later?"

"You bet, bro," Broseph said, as Ben headed upstairs to change.

After swapping his jeans, t-shirt, and green jacket for his purple work-shorts and shirt, Ben was just about to head down when a familiar floral scent – notes of jasmine, lavender, and rose – tickled his nose, while two slender arms encircled him from behind. "Hi, baby."

With a grin, Ben turned to embrace his girlfriend, taking in the sight of her in her light blue nightgown, showing just enough of her caramel-tan skin, with her chestnut locks beautifully mussed. "Hey, beautiful."

Happily, Lo stood on her toes as Ben leaned down to kiss her, before she noticed his uniform. "What gives, Ben? Today's your day off!"

"Hey, don't tell me! Tell Bummer! He just called me in a couple minutes ago; it's "urgent," apparently!"

Lo pouted. "Ugh! I swear, his radar goes off every time one of us has fun!" Her eyebrows dipped worriedly. "Will this affect tonight?"

"I sure hope not," Ben answered. "I'm heading in early, so that _should_ mean I'd get off in time for our date."

""Should" being the operative word," Lo finished for him. "Okay, Ben; just do what you can."

Ben noticed her sad smile. "Lo? Is everything okay?"

Lo's smile became a bit strained. "It's nothing," she said. "Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Uh…okay," Ben answered cautiously. "See you tonight?"

Lo nodded. "Unless Bummer's a jerk about your hours!" she replied, before giving Ben a peck on the cheek. With a goofy grin, Ben turned and headed out.

When Ben reached the Lobbyquarium, he promptly checked in with Johnny. "Hey, Front Desk Guy," he greeted. "So, what's the emergency?"

Johnny leafed through the daily check-ins. "Looks like there's some international tennis tournament being hosted here," he noted. "There were a bunch of last-minute invites that needed bookings, so we snagged them before Captain Ron could."

Ben nodded. "Got it," he said. "Where do I start?"

Johnny checked the latest check-in. "That'd be the Yamamoto booking; her room is Suite 2117. Her luggage is right there. Just be careful: one of 'em's a pet-carrier."

Ben was already in motion when the name fully registered with him. "Wait… _what_ name was that?"

"Yamamoto."

Ben glanced to the luggage-cart, taking in the light-blue suitcases – _her_ favorite color – and the empty racket-case. "Did you get the first name?"

"Uh…not really – just "J. Yamamoto.""

' _It could be a coincidence. It can't be her. Not here._ ' Calming himself, Ben moved to take the cart…

…which made whatever was in the pet-carrier jump. " _Ship! Ship-ship!_ "

Ben almost jumped out of his sneakers. ' _Oh God, oh God, it IS her!_ '

Johnny didn't hear that. "Ben? Everything okay?"

Ben's panic only doubled as he heard a familiar feminine laugh approach the entrance; she was coming _back._ "Never better!" he exclaimed, as he grabbed the cart and wheeled it into the elevator. "Gotta get going!" Frantically, he tapped the up button. ' _Come on, come ON! Close, close, CLOSE!_ '

He just saw the faintest trace of her through the Lobbyquarium window when the doors shut, keeping him out of sight. Safe, Ben leaned against the wall, as he felt a cold sweat trail down the side of his head. Once he'd caught his breath, he fished out his Plumber's badge, and hailed his teammates. "Gwen, Kevin, when you get this, call me back when you're both alone, and do _not_ let Lo hear this!" he exclaimed. "Code Red! I repeat: _Code RED!_ "

Fighting panic, Ben finished his warning. "She's here," he whispered. "I don't know why – out of all the hotels in all of North America, she had to walk into this one – but Julie is _here._ "

XXXXXXXX

"Lo? Are you okay?"

As she finished donning her wench's uniform, Lo shut her locker before she answered Emma's query. "I'm fine, Emma."

Emma didn't look convinced. "Are you sure?" she persisted. "You seemed a bit down when Ben had to go."

Lo shrugged. "I was just worried that we might miss our date, that's all."

Emma arched a cherry eyebrow. " _Really?_ "

Lo sighed; she'd really hoped she'd have been able to hide it. "It's just…I would've liked to still be in the penthouse, in the next two days."

"Why in the next two days?" Emma asked. "I thought you wanting back in was a standing hope."

"It is, but that goes double for my probably-not-so-sweet 16."

Emma did a double-take. "Your… _oh my gosh, your birthday is in two DAYS!_ "

"See? _That's_ why I didn't want to say anything!" Lo exclaimed. "I didn't want anyone freaking out or making a big deal about it!"

"Lo, it _is_ a big deal! You're turning 16!" Emma insisted. "Does Ben know?"

Lo shook her head. "I felt bad bugging him about it, what with everything that's happened," she said. "Besides, it's not like I can expect much; I'm banished from my usual party-base, my old crowd is AWOL, and my new crowd – boyfriend included – has to operate on a budget!" She flinched. "Not that that's your guys' fault! I just didn't want to get my hopes up!"

Emma looked sad. "Aw, Lo…"

Lo felt guilty. "Really, Emma, it's okay!"

"It's _not_ okay! This is a major milestone, and you should be celebrating!"

"Hey, I'm not arguing!" Lo agreed, as she and Emma headed for the DR. "I just don't see how I _can_ celebrate like I planned to before…"

"Lo! _Chica,_ over here!"

That familiar, Spanish-accented voice stopped Lo in her tracks. Her eyes wide, she turned to its source. " _F-Flor?_ "

In her violet yoga-pants and shocking-pink sports-top – her choice attire for whatever sport she was into, which was _all_ of them – 17-year-old Flor Ibanez, tall and dancer lithe, with a perfect light tan, her dark chocolate hair in a pixie cut, walked up to Lo with a smile. "Hey, girl!" she greeted with a hug. "How've you been?"

Lo was almost too surprised to answer. "Uh…g-good!" she managed. "It's just…I didn't expect to see you!"

Flor laughed. "Why? You _knew_ Ronnie and I would be back from cheer camp, this week!"

"Well…yeah," Lo said. "But…it's just…well…" She gestured to her uniform.

Flor frowned. "You thought that I'd drop you just 'cause your _papi_ made you _work_ for a living?" She reached out and flicked Lo's forehead with her finger.

Lo flinched. " _Ow!_ Flor! What the hell?"

" _That's_ for thinking I'd be some shallow little witch who'd dump her BFF since we ate paste in kindergarten!" Flor scolded. "If my _abuelo_ heard I did that, he'd make me tune _all_ the instruments in the orchestra hall he plays in!" She shuddered. " _Again._ "

Lo felt her eyes tear up. She quickly changed the subject before she started bawling. "Uh, Emma? This is Flor Ibanez; she's on the same cheer-squad I am. We've known each other for ages!" she said. "Flor, this is Emma Mackenzie; she's my coworker at the DR."

With a smile, Flor waved. " _Hola,_ Red," she greeted, before she paused. "Wait, the _DR?_ You're stuck with that _bruja_ Kelly as a boss?"

Emma chuckled. "I'm not sure what that means, but yeah, Kelly's our supervisor," she answered. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you!"

"Likewise!"

Lo was still trying not to cry. "D-Don't mind me!" she said. "It's just…I'm _really_ glad to hear I still have _one_ friend on the squad."

Emma nodded. "You might not know this, Flor, but one of Lo's _other_ friends totally ditched her! Her name was…"

"…Heidi?" Flor finished. "Yeah, I heard about that." She frowned. "We've had words."

Lo blinked. "You talked with her?"

"You could say that." Flor grinned slyly. "That's part of why I didn't drop by yesterday, girl."

Lo started to smile. "What did you do?"

Flor shrugged. "Consider it an early birthday present," she said. "If you got time, I'll show you."

Emma checked her watch. "Well, we've got a few minutes before Kelly starts to bitch out."

"Perfect!" Flor looped her arms through Lo and Emma's. "This way!" With that, she led them out to the Lobbyquarium.

In the lobby, Lo was doubly amazed to find her _other_ old BFFs there. Standing next to a contrite-looking Heidi Laramie was 16-year-old Veronica Whitmore – tall and curvaceously slim, in her white-blue floral sundress, her hazel eyes wide as she looked around, before settling on Lo with an innocent smile. "Hey, Lo!"

Lo waved back. "Hey, Ronnie!"

Her scowl returning, Flor glared at Heidi. "You know what to do, Laramie."

Heidi looked stricken. "Okay… _maybe_ the last thing I said to you might have been kinda…harsh," she said, before she shrugged with a smile. "So…no harm, no foul, right?"

Flor looked murderous. " _Chica_ , do _NOT_ make me slap you!"

Heidi caved. "Okay, okay!" she cried. "I'm sorry, already! I acted like a total bitch to you!"

Flor calmed down. "A total spoiled, _shallow_ bitch, you mean."

Lo nodded. "To me _and_ my new friends," she added.

Heidi wilted. "Yes, okay? All of the above! I was wrong! I'm sorry!"

"You'd better be," Flor warned. "We do _not_ just bail on our friends, especially when said friend is our new head cheerleader!"

Lo froze. "Wait, _what?_ "

Flor grinned. "You heard me, girl."

Lo almost fell over. "But…but I _can't_ be head cheerleader! That's Kendall's position!"

"Duh! Kendall graduated, remember?" Veronica said. "She stopped by cheer-camp to nominate you to replace her, and we all voted yes!"

Flor shrugged. "Happy Birthday, girl."

Lo felt herself tear up. "Oh my God, I'm…I think I'm gonna _cry!_ " she exclaimed. "I thought you'd all ditched me!"

"Why, 'cause your dad made you work for a living? Seriously?" Flor asked. "We're the Sunset Sirens, girl! We don't leave our sisters in the surf!" She half-glared at Heidi. "Though some of us needed reminding of that."

Veronica nodded. "When I heard, I thought it was so sad that you got booted and your cards taken away!" she said. Her tone lowered to a whisper, as though she were uttering a profound revelation. "I mean, it was like…you didn't have any _money!_ "

Emma could only gape at that. "Um…"

Flor sighed. "We know."

Heidi perked up. "So, when's the birthday bash?" she asked. "It's gonna be a rager, right? Because after the party Cecilia threw a couple weeks ago…"

Lo wilted. "Sorry, girls. Between me being exiled and my current budget, all party options are _off_ the table!"

Heidi looked horrified. " _What?_ But it's your Sweet 16!" she cried. "You _have_ to throw a major bash! If you don't, you'll be the laughingstock of – _OW!_ "

Her remark was cut off by Flor's hand against the side of her head. "Seriously, Laramie? What did I _just_ tell you?" she said. Her expression was sympathetic as she looked back to Lo. "Forget Heidi said that, Lo. Party or no party, the three of us are taking you on an all-expenses-paid shopping spree on your b-day!"

Lo beamed. " _Really?_ "

Veronica nodded. "Including an emergency style touch-up, courtesy of yours truly!"

Lo's smile turned a bit guilty. "Mind if I make a little addition to that?" she asked. "Could my new BFFs be included in that deal?"

Faced with Flor's warning glare, Heidi nodded nervously. "Sure! No problem!"

Emma flushed. "Lo, you don't have to…"

"I _want_ to."

As Flor looked to Veronica, her eyebrow arched, Veronica just gave a sunny smile. "Sure! Any BFF of Lo's is a BFF of mine!"

Emma smiled back. "Sounds great!" she said. "It'll have to wait, though: if we're any later, Kelly'll flip."

Veronica blinked. "Really? I thought she was nice."

Emma was bug-eyed. " _Nice?_ "

Lo's hand on her elbow quieted her. "I'll explain later," she said. "Catch you on the beach in a couple hours, girls?"

Flor nodded. "Sure!" she agreed. "See you then!"

As her squadmates headed off, Lo beamed. "Well, that was a nice b-day surprise!"

Emma nodded. "I'll say!" she agreed. "Flor and Veronica seem nice, but don't expect me to be all buddy-buddy with Heidi, right away." She forced back a chuckle. "And Kelly is _nice?_ Seriously?"

Lo chuckled. "What can we say? Ronnie's just about the only one on Sunset Island who's completely _immune_ to Kelly's bitchiness; no reaction whatsoever!" she answered. "It's actually kinda funny, watching Kelly try and try to make Ronnie freak out, only to get nothing!"

Now Emma was giggling. "If you say so," she said. "And congrats on being head cheerleader!"

Lo squealed. "I know!"

By then, Kelly had emerged from the DR, looking as sour as she always did. "Did I miss the memo about you two getting paid to gossip?" she snapped. " _Move_ it!"

Her mood dimmed, Lo sighed. "And just like that, the day turns crappy."

"Well, look at it this way: in a couple hours, you'll be on a picnic with Ben, and in a couple days, you have your shopping-spree!" Emma said. "Those are a few things to look forward to!"

Lo had to smile. "I guess," she agreed. "Now all I have to do is survive the next few days…"

XXXXXXXX

 _Staff House_

"Dude. You gotta be bloody joking."

As he, Ripper, and Lance sat on the Staff House patio, munching on Beaver Tails, Kevin smirked. "No joke, Ripper. Me and my pal Argit had to inject two gallons of nitro into our engine just to outrun these guys."

Lance looked dumbfounded. "Whoa…"

Kevin's grin grew. "Yeah, it took us a good half day to clean it once the heat died down," he said. "Still, the payoff was pretty sweet, though…"

" _Code Red! Code Red!_ "

Ben's shout interrupted Kevin's tale as Ben, still in uniform, came barreling up the trail, gasping for breath once he came to a stop. Ripper arched an eyebrow. "Mate, you look like you've seen a bloody ghost. What's the deal?"

Ben tried to catch his breath. "Saw…bag…Julie… _here!_ "

"Dude. Slow down," Lance said. "Start over."

Ben took several deep breaths. " _Julie's here!_ "

Kevin blinked for several seconds…and then burst out laughing. "Oh man, you are _beyond_ screwed."

" _Kevin!_ "

Ripper was lost. "Back up, mates. Who's this "Julie" sheila?"

"Ben's ex," Kevin answered. "They broke up right before Ben came here."

Ben nodded grimly. "And now she's here," he muttered. "It must be for the international tennis tournament; the week before we broke up, she mentioned some big tennis thing she was heading to, this summer." He groaned. "And it just _had_ to be here, didn't it? Of all the hotels on Sunset Island, _why_ did she have to walk into _this_ one?"

Now Ripper was snickering. "Bugger, Lo's gonna have a cow."

Ben looked sick. "Oh, God, this is a nightmare," he muttered. "If Julie sees me here, she'll think I'm stalking her, and if _Lo_ finds out, she'll throw a fit!"

Kevin shrugged. "Sounds about right, man."

"Okay…okay, I have to calm down," Ben thought aloud. "Okay, this tennis thing is only for a few days; once it's over, Julie'll leave. All I have to do is keep Julie from seeing me and Lo from seeing Julie until then! Simple, right?"

Kevin's sarcasm was obvious. "Yeah, nothing can go wrong," he said, "like being late for getting back from break?"

Ben paled. " _Oh, CRAP!_ " he cried, before he turned and bolted off.

Kevin sighed. "I'm gonna have to go help him, aren't I?"

Ripper nodded. "Pretty much, mate."

"Fine, whatever," Kevin muttered. "I had to go punch in, anyway. See you guys later." With that, he got up to follow Ben back to the hotel.

After changing into his uniform and punching in, Kevin found Ben quickly moving some luggage into the elevator. ' _He sure isn't kidding about wanting to stay out of sight,_ ' Kevin mused, as he followed Ben into the elevator. "So where's this stuff headed?"

"Same floor as Julie, but different rooms," Ben said. "Still, I don't know if she's on the floor, so we need to be fast! In and out!"

Kevin shrugged. "Cool by me."

Once the elevator opened, the two of them quickly got to work moving the suitcases to their respective suites, though Ben was moving with considerably greater haste, keeping an eye to the elevator the entire time. Case by case, the pile of luggage began to disappear, until the cart was empty…just as the elevator dinged: someone was coming up. "Someone's coming!" Ben exclaimed. "The stairs! _Go, go, GO!_ "

Kevin rolled his eyes. "You don't even know it's her, you goober."

As the elevator doors opened, the sound of Bummer's voice echoed in the distance. "…and this would be your floor, miss! All our guest suites have all the usual comforts, including a snack fridge, room service, cable TV, and room service! Will you be needing anything else?"

The next voice made Ben go ghost-pale. "No thank you; I just wanted to use the tennis court for a few hours, after I grab my racquet."

Kevin blinked. "Damn. You can _not_ catch a break."

Ben zipped behind the door, keeping an eye to the peephole. "Okay, we're clear! _Get to the stairs!_ " he exclaimed, as he threw open the door and ran for the stairs. He was just about to round the corner…

"We'd be happy to offer you a complimentary water for your workout, Miss Yamamoto! _TENNYSON!_ "

Ben was _almost_ around the corner when he heard that call; his foot was the only thing in view. Slowly, he inched back into view…and saw her.

She was still petite, in a pink-white tennis skirt and tank-top. Her ebony hair – now just a little bit longer – was tied back in a ponytail, with a headband around her head. Her dark eyes were wide, while her pink lips were open with surprise.

Bummer ignored Ben's deer-in-the-headlights expression. "Miss Yamamoto will be on Court #3! Make sure she has enough water for her workout!" he barked, before he strode off.

Kevin took that opportunity to step out of sight. "Well, so much for that plan, Tennyson."

Ben was just a hair below panicking. "Okay! Well, ma'am, we've already got your luggage set up and your room ready to go!" he said quickly, managing a nervous smile as he made for the elevator. "You can head to the tennis court, and we'll get that water to you in just a few..!"

"Ben?"

Kevin had to force himself not to laugh as Ben gulped. "Oh, man, here it comes," he murmured. "Y-Yeah?"

He – and Kevin – had been expecting Julie to freak out and yell…but instead, she smiled shyly. "It's…it's really good to see you."

Ben looked trapped. "Uh…y-you, too," he replied. "So…how've you been?"

"Um…good," Julie said. "Just…practicing for the tournament."

Ben inched towards the elevator. "Right. You told me about it before we…just before."

Julie flushed. "Oh. Duh."

Ben scratched his head, trying to think of some way to run for it…when he was saved by his badge's beeping. "Oh. Crap. Uh…sorry, Julie, but I've gotta go; Plumbers are tracking an unregistered ship skimming the atmosphere and…"

"…and you're needed, Ben. You don't have to explain," Julie finished. "I'll be okay. Just…be careful?"

"Right," Ben stammered. "Kev? You got this?"

Kevin stepped into view. "Yeah, I'm good. Go." With a nod, Ben bolted off.

Julie's surprise doubled. "Kevin? You're here too?" she asked. "And Gwen..?"

"Yep. The gang's all here."

"Wow," Julie said. "I just…never thought I'd see Ben again."

Kevin chuckled. "Neither did he."

XXXXXXXX

 _Canadian airspace_

' _This is bad. This is bad. This is bad._ '

That thought raced through Jetray's mind over and over again as he shot across the sky, racing to intercept the unknown ship. At the edges of his vision, he could see the ship just a few miles ahead, at the very limits of his vertical range; already, he could feel his lungs burning from the faint traces of oxygen present at this height…

…but that would be child's play compared to what awaited him back at Surfer's Paradise unless he sorted things out _quick._

' _It almost would've been simpler if Julie yelled at me,_ ' Jetray thought. ' _Then she would avoid me, and I could avoid her, and Lo wouldn't need to know! But…that smile? What the heck was THAT about?_ '

Jetray shook his head. ' _I'll worry about that later; gotta focus._ ' With an extra burst of speed, he closed on the ship – a sorry-looking rig that looked like it was more patchwork repairs than anything else – and fired his neuroshock, slicing a hole large enough to fly through. Darting inside, he quickly moved to the next compartment, and shut the bulkhead, repressurizing the ship. Able to breathe again, he tapped the control dial on his chest, returning to normal…and immediately collapsed, gasping for air.

' _Okay, breathe, Ben…just breathe…in and out…in and out…okay. I'm good._ '

With his lungs full of air, and enough power in the Omnitrix for another morph, Ben made his way to the bridge, and booted open the door…which knocked the flimsy thing out of its frame. " _Freeze!_ " he shouted. "You're under arrest! Divert course to the nearest…" He trailed off as he recognized the two pilots. "Oh, I don't believe this!"

Sitting in the pilot's chair, in his usual dull yellow flight jacket and ball-cap, his black hair flat against his pasty skin, Octagon Vreedle scowled. "Well, ain't this a fine howdy-do," he grumbled. "'Boid, we're gonna have to bail."

In the co-pilot's chair, huge compared to his older brother in his hard-hat and overalls, Rhomboid Vreedle gulped. "W-What're we gonna do, big bro? We need this job! If'n we mess it up, Ma'll..!"

"Hush up, 'Boid. We ain't gonna screw up," Octagon muttered, as he lowered his voice. "You got Berta next to ya, right?"

Rhomboid flinched. "Bro, you went an' told me never to use Berta in the ship!"

"Yeah, 'bout that, 'Boid. Ferget it."

Savage glee crossed Rhomboid's face as he reached into a side compartment…and drew out a custom-made, multi-barrelled plasma-cannon. "Say howdy, sucker!"

' _Oh, CRAP!_ ' Ben made a dive behind the nearby bulkhead as Rhomboid opened fire. The multi-pronged plasma-blast tore through the ship's hull, causing an immediate decompression. Wincing, Ben held on for dear life as the hull began to tear.

Octagon scowled. "Okay…we're gonna have to work on yer aim again."

Rhomboid looked contrite. "Aw, shucks, 'bro, I'm awful sorry…"

"Just shut up an' git to the escape-pods, 'Boid."

Ben had just managed to get back to his feet once the pressure had – mostly – equalized. Seeing the fleeing Vreedles, he was about to chase after them, but the horrible wrenching screech of metal wrenching apart made him freeze, as the bridge tore away from the rest of the ship, careening down into a fiery dive, while the rest of it plunged into a death-dive.

Ben shook his head as he pulled himself along the nearby wall pipes, stopping only when he was safe behind a bulkhead. ' _Never easy, is it?_ ' Racing to the Engineering section – or what passed for it – Ben checked the readout of the ship's condition. ' _Nope. Never is._ ' He fished out his badge. "Gwen, come in! This is Ben, and I've got trouble!"

He got a reply a few seconds later. " _What's the problem, Ben?_ "

"We've got Vreedles, Gwen! They tried to make a landing in their junker of a ship!" Ben reported. "Rhomboid blew off the bridge, and now what's left is in a death-spiral!" He checked the trajectory of the vessel. "Right now, it's going to crash into the middle of downtown Sunset Beach! I'm going to divert it into the Pacific, so get Plumber response teams out there!"

" _Got it, Ben! Good luck!_ "

"Thanks!" Switching off his badge and putting it away, Ben tried to activate the engine-control panel…which instantly sparked and shorted out. ' _Okay, new plan!_ ' He raced to the auxiliary engine panel, which looked to be seconds away from shorting out itself, and checked it over, acting on a hunch. ' _YES! The Vreedles made this thing from patchwork scraps, so they didn't take out the manual control for their engines! If I can get to the engine room, I can fly this rig manually!_ ' Turning, he raced for the bulkhead door that led to the engine room, opened it…

…and almost stepped through the massive hole in the deck.

Quickly stepping back, Ben gulped. ' _So THAT'S why the Vreedles never took out the manual controls,_ ' he thought. The huge hole in the deck, barely covered by the flickering shields, looked about as old as the ship itself. Thinking hard, Ben brought up the ship's schematics in his memory, trying to find another way to the engines. ' _There HAS to be another way in! Other than this way, it looked like there was an access hatch on the outside of the ship…_ '

And then the shields failed completely, which split the hole wide open, sending Ben tumbling out into the exosphere. ' _Or that could happen,_ ' Ben thought, as he used the bit of oxygen left in his lungs to pop up the control dial and re-select Jetray…only for the holo-image to shift just as he slammed his hand down.

As the emerald Omni-energy swallowed him, Ben felt his body start to stiffen, his bones spreading out to solidify his flesh, the blood in his veins slowing and solidifying…while his life-force – his essence, his very _soul_ – seemed to ignite through his whole body, filling him to the brim with blazing energy…

…and as the green light faded, it was replaced by the searing crimson corona around a dark-red rock-skinned humanoid being, its skin lined with veins of white-hot energy, the same energy of its mouth and eyes, with the control dial in its chest. Its fingers and toes glowed red-hot, and its corona was denser around its head, almost like hair. " _Heatblast!_ "

With no time to appreciate the fact that he was back in the Omnitrix's roster, Heatblast quickly fired a plasma-pulse from his hand to right himself, before generating plasma energy from his feet. In seconds, a stream of plasma shot from his feet, propelling him into stable flight. "Oh yeah! Now _this_ is surfing!" Heatblast crowed, before he leaned to the side, altering his path back towards the crashing ship.

By the time he reached the ship, Sunset Island was a dot in the distance – he didn't have much time. Closing on the engine room section, Heatblast fired a plasma-burst and burned a hole in its hull, large enough for him to fly in. A quick look at the main engine console told him everything he needed. ' _Navigation's good, but power's dipped too low,_ ' he thought with a grimace…before an idea hit him. ' _Time for a little boost!_ ' Walking to the engine's core chamber, he grabbed the access hatch, pried the hatch open, and released a hand-stream into the core, before he slammed it shut.

His gamble paid off: with a fresh infusion of plasma, the engine started to power up…before it immediately started losing power again. Quickly, Heatblast moved to the console – typing fast so as not to melt the controls with his fingers – and altered course enough to miss Sunset Beach. As he felt the ship shift its course, Heatblast knew it was time to bail. Running to the hole, he fired another foot-stream and blazed back into the open sky.

Once he was airborne, Heatblast pulled back to see the ship turn away from its crash-course to Sunset Island, to splash down into the Pacific, miles from prying eyes. Heatblast grinned. "And crisis is _averted!_ " he crowed, as he angled his foot-stream back down, heading for the Island…

…and the control-dial started to flash red.

Panic crossed Heatblast's face. "Oh, _crap!_ " Forcing more energy to his feet, he streaked towards Sunset Beach at full speed, as the dial's flares came faster and faster. He was only seconds away from reaching the shore when he lost his balance, sending him tumbling into the water. The second he contacted the water, clouds of stinging steam were thrown up from the heat of his rocky skin, which had the unexpected benefit of obscuring him from the curious eyes of the numerous tourists, surfers, and beachcombers that were visiting the Hotel, just as the flash of ruby light returned him to normal.

While everyone on the beach was staring at the cloud of steam, a very soggy Ben, his uniform thoroughly drenched, waded out of the sea a safe distance down the shore. "Another day in the life," he muttered to himself, as he tugged off his t-shirt, wrung out the water as best he could, and put it back on, before he grabbed his badge to make a call. "Gwen? It's Ben. Think your or Kevin could grab me a change of clothes without Bummer noticing? I kinda took a Heatblast swan-dive into the sea."

" _No problem, Ben. Just give us a few minutes,_ " Gwen answered. " _You said Vreedles?_ "

"I said Vreedles," Ben confirmed. "They're long gone, by now." He sighed. "As if I didn't have enough problems."

" _Oh? What's wrong?_ "

Ben made sure the coast was clear. "Is Lo in earshot of you?"

" _No. Why?_ "

Ben took a deep breath to calm himself. "Julie's here."

Gwen's double-take was audible. " _WHAT?_ " she cried. " _JULIE is here..?_ "

" _SSSSSHHHH!_ " Ben shushed her. "I know, okay? She's here for this big tennis tournament! Kevin and I bumped into her just before I got the call!"

Gwen's tone turned worried. " _How bad was it?_ "

"That's what threw me, Gwen: it actually _wasn't_ bad! She didn't freak out at all!" Ben exclaimed. "I don't know what to think! All I know is that I need to keep Lo from catching on that she's here, or she'll throw a fit!"

Gwen snorted. " _Lovely,_ " she said. " _Between your current girlfriend and your ex, I'm not sure which is worse._ "

Ben was too tired to argue with her. "I'll be at the Hotel in about five, Gwen. I'll need that change right about then," he said. "See you soon." Ending the call, Ben started to walk back to the Hotel, dripping with every step he took. ' _How do I get myself into these messes?_ '

XXXXXXXX

 _Surfer's Paradise_

"Freedom at _last!_ "

By the time her and Emma's shift had ended, Lo was _more_ than ready for some down-time. After swapping their uniforms for their bikinis, Lo and Emma headed out of the hotel for the staff house, to grab their boards for a much-needed sesh. "Is it just me, or is Kelly getting worse?" Emma asked.

Lo shrugged. "It's not just you," she agreed. "But it _did_ seem like she wanted to get out of there as much as we did."

Emma giggled. "Think she's late for a meeting with her coven?"

Lo burst out laughing. "Probably!"

By then, they had passed the tennis court, where a lone player – a Japanese-American girl, in a pink sweater and white skirt – was returning serves from the machine; specifically, she was returning _every_ serve by the machine. Emma gaped. "Wow," she remarked. "That girl's kicking butt!"

Lo had to nod. "I think we just found the winner of this tournament thing."

Hearing Lo's remark, the girl angled herself just so and – as if to prove their point – returned one last serve to smack the off-switch on the machine, before walking over. "Thanks for the vote of confidence!"

Emma laughed. "Yeah, like you need it! You were hitting every serve!"

The girl beamed, her expression going rosy. "I'm just…feeling really good," she admitted. "I…might've had a good omen, today."

Lo arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

The girl quickly explained. "This morning, I ran into my ex," she said. "We had broken up amicably; the only reason we did was because I was moving and didn't think we could make things work…but then he's just _there!_ " Her smile grew. "So…maybe we still have a chance?"

Emma squealed. "Oh my _God,_ that's so romantic!"

Lo nodded. "Well, good luck with your old boo, girl! Catch you later!" With that, the two of them headed to the staff house, while the girl resumed her practice.

It took only a few minutes for Lo and Emma to get to the staff house and grab their boards. On their way back out, they met Reef, Fin, and Broseph, all finishing their own shifts. Noticing their boards, Fin grinned. "Heading to the Office?"

Still beaming, Lo nodded. "That's the plan!"

Reef arched an eyebrow. "How the _heck_ can you be so stoked after _work_ , bra?"

"Uh, because she's back on speaking terms with her old crew!" Emma gushed. "We bumped into them, just a little while ago!"

Fin arched an eyebrow. "Including that Heidi chick? The one who ditched you?" she asked, before her eyes narrowed. "The one I _still_ think deserves a butt-kicking?"

"That's her!" Lo said. "Flor – one of my other BFFs – totally read her the Riot Act! Heidi completely apologized, and even agreed to take me and Emma – and you, Fin – on a shopping-spree for my sweet 16 in two days! I was so totally blown _away!_ "

"Not as much as I am now."

At the sound of Ben's voice, Lo turned around with a smile…but that turned to an alarmed gasp. " _Ben!_ Baby, what happened?"

A waterlogged Ben coughed up salt spray. "Took a little swan-dive from mid-orbit courtesy of the Vreedle Brothers," he said. "Good news is that I got one of my originals back."

Broseph looked grim. "And the bad news, bro?"

"Not only did they get away, but I just found out I didn't know my girlfriend's _sixteenth birthday_ was coming up," Ben answered, as his shoulders drooped. "Sorry, Lo…"

" _No_ , Ben! No, no, _no!_ " Lo exclaimed, as she rushed over to hug him. "I didn't _want_ you to know because I didn't want you to get all wigged out when you're _already_ dealing with so much!" She smiled thinly. "I'm _okay_ with not having a big deal made over my 16th, baby. You don't have to worry about it."

Relieved, Ben smiled for real. "Have I told you how amazing you are, today?"

Lo shrugged. "A reminder always helps." She beamed. "Still ready for our pre-sesh picnic?"

Ben chuckled. "Can I change first?"

Lo's smile turned guilty, as she pinched her nose to block out the scent of brine and space-diesel on Ben's clothes. "Kinda mandatory, babe."

"Fair point."

Fin gave a knowing smile. "Well, we won't keep you," she said. "I have to go kick Chowderhead's butt on the waves, anyway."

Reef scoffed as the others headed off. "Dream on, betty!"

Thankfully, it didn't take Ben long to rinse himself, don his trunks, and grab his board, along with their picnic basket. Once he was ready, they both headed for the beach, cutting through the sports area to get there. As they walked, Lo saw a familiar face, and darted ahead. "Hey, girl!" she greeted with a wave. "Still hard at it?"

Pausing for a water break, the girl smiled back. "Hey!" she called back. "Hitting the surf?"

Lo nodded. "After me and my boo have a well-deserved picnic!" she said, as she noticed that Ben had been walking slowly…and looked kinda freaked. "Ben, this is…this is…oh my _God!_ I never even got your name..!"

"Julie."

By then, Ben had caught up, looking pale. "Her name's Julie."

Lo blinked. "Oh-kaaay…you know her?"

The girl – Julie – looked ready to cry. "B-Ben?"

Now Lo was doubly confused. "Okay, how do you know my boo's name?" she asked…before something jogged in her memory. "Wait," she murmured, feeling her face start to look as teary as Julie's. "Wasn't that the name of your…of your..?"

"Yeah." Ben's eyes were scrunched shut. "Julie, this is Lauren Ridgemount, my girlfriend," he said. "Lo, this is Julia Yamamoto…my ex."

And just like that, Lo felt her entire world threaten to fall out from under her feet.

XXXXXXXX

' _Well, that couldn't have gone worse._ '

Ben had only his grim thoughts to listen to as he set up their picnic; Lo had been silent, the whole time. Once he'd spread the blanket and put out the cutlery, he motioned for Lo to take a seat. Still with that blank expression, Lo sat down. Ben took a breath. "Lo, I…I get why you're mad."

"I'm not mad."

She was talking to him, but her words made him feel even more uneasy. "I should have told you Julie was here, but…I could _not_ figure out how that conversation would go well. I know it's stupid, but I was hoping that I could just wait it out – that I could do my job without Julie even knowing I was here."

"I'm not mad, Ben. Really."

Ben paled. "Oh my God. You're _totally_ mad," he murmured. "Lo, I did _not_ want her here. You have to believe me..!"

Lo sighed. "I _do_ believe you, Ben…and I'm _not_ mad. You couldn't help it that your ex had a tennis thing here," she said. "It's just…you bugging out over her makes me wonder."

That made him feel _worse._ "Lauren, Julie and I are _over._ Yeah, I _was_ bummed over her, and I would have jumped for joy over seeing her again… _until you and I started going out,_ " he assured her. "All I was doing was trying to avoid _this_ conversation, as well as _her_ bugging out at me. That's all."

Finally, he got a half-smile out of her. "I can understand that…you big doofus."

Ben let himself breathe. "We're…good?"

Lo sighed again. "As good as I can be, considering my sweet 16 is coming up and all party options are denied."

That tore at Ben's heart. She'd just accepted something that he was afraid would blow up in his face, and now she was critically bummed. He had to do something. "Says who?"

Lo looked mournful. "Daddy and my budget, that's who."

Ben felt his guts clench, but he knew this was right. "Lo, you've done a complete turnaround from the ultra-spoiled girl – no offence – that you used to be. You _deserve_ a party, this time," he said. "I'll…I'll make it happen."

Lo paused. "Ben…"

"I mean it, Lauren. I'll find a way," Ben said. "I'll call in a few favours. I'll even talk to your Dad; he _has_ to see how hard you've worked, especially considering everything that's happened."

Lo's eyebrows dipped in pleading. "Ben…don't joke about this. Please. This is huge for me."

"I am _dead_ serious, baby."

Lo started to look hopeful. "For reals?"

"For reals, Lo."

Lo gulped, as a hint of a smile appeared on her lips. " _Really_ for reals?"

Ben nodded. "Really, Lo. You're getting your Sweet 16 party if it's the last thing I do."

" _EEEEEEEEEEEEE!_ "

Lo's squeak nearly popped Ben's eardrums as she pounced on him, peppering his face with kisses. "Oh, _thank_ you, baby! Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_ " she squealed. " _Best! Boyfriend! EVER!_ I'm getting my Sweet 16 back! _EEEEEEEEEEEE!_ "

Ben couldn't help but smile, even though something in the back of his head grabbed hold of his promise. ' _And it just MIGHT be the last thing I do…_ '

XXXXXXXX

"Now 'Boid, didn' I specifically say to _aim_ the pod fer the ocean?"

After their life-pod had crashed onto the beach, Octagon and his brother had been forced to bail with as much of their gear as they could carry before gawking tourists swarmed the place…with Plumbers right behind them, to seal the site up. As they crept onto a parking lot, Rhomboid looked distraught. "Aw, Octagon, ya know my thumbs can't hit the retros' trigger right…"

"Yeah, yeah. Just hesh up an' let me think," Octagon groused, as he popped under one of the cars, to cross a few wires…and cause the door to pop open. With a grin, he slid back out. "We're in business, brother."

" _Hooo-eee!_ Music to m'ears!" Rhomboid crowed, as he started to load their gear into the back of the car, before he hopped into the passenger seat. Octagon had already taken the driver's seat and hotwired the ignition, and quickly put the pedal to the metal, sending them racing out of the lot. "Ain' nothin' stoppin' us now..!"

A buzz from Octagon's communicator quelled their elation. With a gulp, Octagon answered. "Uh…h-hey, Boss."

" _Vreedle._ " The iron-toned growl snapped out through space into Octagon's ears. " _Report._ "

"Uh…kinda a good news/bad news thing, Sir," Octagon said. "Good news is we made it here. Bad news is our ship didn't. Tennyson spotted us on our landing."

The Boss snarled. " _Did he track you?_ "

"No, Sir! _No_ , Sir! We bailed and got clear of him!" Rhomboid exclaimed. "Once the heat dies down, me an' 'Boid'll start lookin' fer 'im…"

" _You will do no such thing, Vreedle. I am not paying for your hesitation. You are to find Tennyson. Now. And THEN I will consider providing an escape-ship._ "

Octagon felt his throat clench. "Y-Yessir." At that, the transmission ended. "Well, 'Boid, looks like we're plumb stuck here 'till we do the job."

Rhomboid nodded sadly…and then paled. "Uh…what's the job again?"

Octagon sighed. "Simple, 'Boid. We find Tennyson and we wax 'im. Pure 'n simple," he said, as he drove off. "Now…all we gots t' do is find 'im." As he spoke, he drove past a large highway sign.

 _Welcome to Sunset Beach._

XXXXXXXX

 _ **Omnitrix Database**_

 _ **File-name:**_ _Heatblast_

 _ **Species-name:**_ _Pyronite_

 _ **Home planet:**_ _Pyros_

 _ **Abilities:**_ _Subject is capable of extensive pyrogenesis and pyrokinesis; subject can project thermal energy stream capable of cutting most materials. Subject's emotional state can amplify its abilities significantly; with sufficient emotional arousal, subject's pyrogenetic abilities approach "hot" plasma-temperatures. Subject's physical form is immune to thermal discharges, and is also ice-resistant, but sufficient exposure to water or fire-retardant chemicals will render subject temporarily inert. Subject's energy discharges can be directed as flight propulsion, and can be infused into local materials to achieve limited terrakinesis. Subject's external magma shell renders subject immune to low-to-moderate physical impact, and confers strength above most elite human athletes._

 _ **Description:**_ _Of all the planets in the cosmos, few are as strange as Pyros. Beginning its life as a star, Pyros blazed as brightly – and steadily – as any sun, until a near-unheard-of series of atomic transmutations – that still defy probability to this day – created masses of solid rock across its photosphere. In these sunspot-continents, heavier elements accumulated, including silicon and carbon. As these tetravalent deposits grew, they caught other elements, including nitrogen and phosphorus, until just the right cosmic ray hit just the right cluster of elements, sparking a self-catalyzing chain reaction that ended with life, as fiery and blazing as its mother planet._

 _Today, the Pyronite race – the children of the Sun-World – most often are found near their mother's warm orbit. Several curious Pyronites, however, have wandered into the black, and found a home amongst the cooler sentients of the galaxy, and are welcomed for their abilities, their mastery of fire and ability to survive extreme heat making them the perfect candidates for welding and power-plant operations._

 _Coming Soon:_

 _With her old crew back in her corner and her Sweet 16 back on track, Lo is beyond stoked…at least until an old pain in her behind plans to derail her._

 _Between Vreedle-hunting and party-planning, poor Ben has his hands full…_

… _but when his ex brings a delicate situation to his attention, all of Ben's troubles come crashing to a head._

 _Can our favorite groms put a collar on this pet-gone-wild?_

 _Find out, in "Love Me, Love My Pet," coming to your computer soon…_


	2. Author's Note

_Author's Note:_

 _Hello, everyone. It's been a while, hasn't it?_

 _To begin, I would like to apologize for there being absolutely no word from me for over a year. I am thoroughly disgusted with myself over that. I would also like to reassure you that this is not a notification that any of my stories are being discontinued. I am going to finish them no matter what._

 _(Not that any of you have reason to believe me, after so long.)_

 _The reason I am writing this note is because you all deserve an explanation._

 _Some of you may already know this, but I work in the Canadian military. Shortly after my last posting, I entered a phase of qualification training, which has kept me quite busy over the past year…and it has not been going well, which only exacerbated my own personal woes. All of this simply fed into my self-hatred over being unable to write, which led into a seemingly endless cascade of hating myself for being unable to write (among other things), and not being able to write because I hate myself._

 _Before I even knew it, a year had passed since I last wrote anything. To be honest, I don't even feel like myself, anymore._

 _Going forward, it looks like I will have to leave the military, which means that my life is now a lot more uncertain. The only thing that I want to be certain of is that I mean to finish my stories._

 _Writing is just about the only thing that's actually worthwhile about me. I'm just empty space, otherwise._

 _And that's the situation, everyone. After all that's happened (or rather, that HASN'T happened), you deserve the truth._

 _I'm so sorry that I've let you all down. All I can do is try not to ever do it again…not that that means much to you._

 _I hope I can get my next chapters ready soon. When I do, this note will be removed._

 _Thank you for listening…and I understand if you didn't bother._

 _I hope to see you again._


End file.
